Car boot sales are on the increase locally. I went to find out why.

After the recent demolition of Blackburn Markets, the ever faithful seen at the roof top continue to seek out sales throughout Lancashire far and wide, with the Chorley boot proving to be the most popular.

Both buyers and sellers continually to swell the numbers on the farmers field at the final roundabout junction.

Asians especially seem to be seen more and more, up bright and early, eager to catch that elusive bargain hungry to fulfill their weekly ‘bargain’ cravings.

If one peers beneath the whole essence of these markets one realises that apart from a place for bargain hunters, car boots reveal changing lives.

Folk selling wares for all sorts of reasons.

Household clearances may be as a result of separations, moving houses, emigration, deaths as well as traders selling alongside novices.

In rare cases vengeance is often an excuse to rid of a partners wares.

Here, everyone is on a level pegging with the voice of experience the only advantage to both sets of customers.

By and large the goods on view have had their day, time to remove and rid with changing fashions and fads onto this merry go round.

Goods hidden in lofts, goods kept for future generations, goods that have seen better days. The uniqueness in these markets is that often private selling householders usually come once or twice annually. Theirs is a fight against time. Assuming good weather, they will arrive early with a trailer or a car load of perceived ‘waste’.

As soon as their pitch is secured they have up to 7 hours to rid of, as much as they can.

As for the punters, the silver lining remains week on week, that the nearer the closing time (usually around 1pm) prices can be seen hurtling down to pennies despite their worth far more on the high streets.

Unsold goods are often seen left abandoned.

There is no vat tax to pay with the only burden on the seller to pay the customary few pounds for the pitch at any spot in the field. The early bird often does get the best spot here.

Car boots have their own level of currency standards as most booters will tell you. The mindset of all alters the minute they enter this trading ground.

Normality departs whilst hungry punters are seen in packs searching high and wide for their needs and wants to be satisfied both in monetary and other terms.

Car boots offer literally everything from coins, cutlery, furniture to even cars labelled on sale.

Cash is king here and haggling is the norm.

Boots don’t require policing, everybody is equal here.

All persons young and old remain focussed on one thing.

Sellers must sell and buyers must buy.

Car boots are the ultimate mechanism of a free market economy with no intervention whatsoever. But they should come with a label.

They can be addictive and before long one finds Saturday nights checking the weather forecast for the next day.

If favourable an early rise with a pocketful of cash can bring rich rewards at a car boot sale.

In due course buyers find their homes full of what their uninitiated partners call junk and they then seek to do a big car boot of their own.

The markets continue to be self propelling generating themselves like no markets anywhere else. The markets really are place to meet new people coming from far and wide.

Last Sunday I met an Algerian and German couple from Leyland with unseen goods on these shores.

Car boots are the best ever form of business for me and I continue to bag weekly bargains and also make new friends.

As for the rest of my close friends Ismail Lorgat said: “Asians are addicted to it.

“I know people so addicted they hide their stuff in neighbours garages and reveal as the days pass by.”

As for me its the best addiction ever as I hear my wind up pendulum clock chime away each hour above my log burner during these wintry nights.

Best fiver I have actually spent.

Oh what would one give for a similar minded partner.